1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer graphics processing, and more specifically to the annotation and manipulation of video objects by means of a graphical user interface object comprising multiple buttons.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Graphical user interfaces exist which provide elaborate and flexible manipulation of objects and actions on computer screens. Such interfaces have been developed to accommodate the power and performance available in contemporary processor chips, and to permit the incorporation of direct manipulation interface hardware such as computer mice, trackballs, joysticks and the like.
One common function required in computer systems is the viewing and selection of items from a list. The prior art contains a number of examples of user interface schemes which work well within the conventional computer environment for this task. The most comprehensive of these from the perspective of the current disclosure is U.S. Pat. No. 5,677,708, which is assigned to Microsoft and is titled “System for Displaying a List on a Display Screen.” The '708 patent discloses the display, on a screen, of a list of user-selectable items, at least three in number, where the items on the edge of the screen are only partially displayed. The user can make a selection from one of the items on the screen, or scroll the list to move additional items on or off the screen. The combination of these actions results in a selection, which results in some action by the underlying user interface software.
The patent literature contains other examples of movable or animated button selections. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,486 which is assigned to IBM and is titled “Method, Apparatus and Memory for Directing a Computer System to Display a Multi-Axis Rotatable, Polyhedral-Shape Panel Container Having Front Panels for Displaying Objects” describes the graphical presentation of an apparently three-dimensional container, the faces of which represent information or choices to the user. U.S. Pat. No. 5,940,076, which is assigned to Motorola and is titled “Graphical User Interface for an Electronic Device and Method Therefor,” describes a circular display of choices or features.
The need for a complex and highly featured user interface has moved beyond the computer environment, however. Digital technology is moving into the field of home entertainment. The new digital television standard is encouraging the integration of computer technology into home entertainment appliances. One example of this convergence is the digital set top box, which functions to receive digital signals from cable or satellite broadcast sources, and to demodulate, decompress, and convert these signals into analog signals viewable on conventional television sets. The new generation of these boxes will incorporate disk drives, making them more like computers in their ability to store and reproduce digital content. Similarly, computers are being used as home entertainment vehicles, incorporating DVD drives and VCR-like functionality.
Consumer television systems present more of a challenge for the user interface designer, since the television or the set top box typically has a lower level of computer performance, and a paucity of direct manipulation options. The typical TV remote control utilizes only a rocker switch input mechanism or opposing button switches for controlling volume or selecting channels, rather than the more flexible mouse or track ball interface.
Another aspect of digital technology that is entering the home entertainment market is the provision of enhanced or interactive television content. Viewers are no longer limited to simply viewing a program, nor to the simple VCR-like choices of fast forward, rewind, pause and continue. The new interactive television paradigm promises to provide the user with a richer, more flexible and engaging experience, through the incorporation of selective navigation through a multiplicity of linear and non-linear paths displaying segments of video, still images, and other types of entertainment and information content. The selection of paths through video will no longer follow the passive start-and-watch model, but will permit or require active choices by the viewer. However, the typical expected user of interactive television cannot be expected to learn and master a complex interface paradigm. Therefore, the interaction control must be simple, self-explanatory, intuitive, and direct. Furthermore, the interface must provide a means of assisting the user in understanding the significance of the content being viewed, a means of labeling the various choices available to the user, assistance in remembering the path taken through the content, and a mechanism for visually depicting linear time flow and allowing the opportunity to alter the speed and direction of that flow.
None of the existing interface methods combines the annotated display of multiple relevant choices for time-varying content, with a simple means of navigating the time series. Accordingly, the need remains for an improved system for user navigation through video content and the like.